Residents of the rest of the country,
who have no hot water for three to six months at a time, or those who
only get hot water according to a schedule, do not feel particularly
sorry for us. But are these the kind of conditions in which citizens
of a civilized, European countries have to live? I don’t think so.
This is what is happening in the
capital. Naftogaz Ukraine, the national gas company, stopped
supplying as to Kyivenergo, the municipal energy company, because of
debts. The ministry for energy also said that the cut-off was due to
the need to save gas to sail though the heating season.
But the problem is, the economy is
incommensurable with the inconveniences and problems caused by the
absence of hot water. For example, in July some 12 million cubic
meters of gas was saved by Kyiv – this is enough for just a day’s
work of all Kyiv heating plants and boilers in the winter.
This means that even if most of the
heating plants work at the minimum level or stop completely in August
and September, the general economy will be negligible – up to 10
days during the heating season.
This is why me and my colleagues
-deputies from the Kyiv city council commission on utilities and
energy have appealed to the state authorities to give hot water back
to Kyivans. Massive use of electric boilers, which will start as soon
as the first cold wave hits, can cause a collapse of electricity
networks, which are not ready for such loads.
I hope that the state authorities will
stop playing the gas saving game, and I think I am not the only one
who is tired of washing in cold water. Kyiv residents have a right to
get the services they have paid for, and know well how to protect
their right.
Olena Halushka is a member of the Kyiv city council.
